Gold Crown Mutt Restoration... Thank you everyone!

[T3knkl]

I just want to take a moment and give a thank you to all the mechanics that are on here. I do not post often... if ever. I have read through this entire forum and learned as much as I could from all of you, which helped on every aspect of my Gold Crown restoration experience.


I obtained a Mutt GC1/3 that spent it's whole life in pools halls. The last major one being Main Street Billiards in Tucson Arizona. Buying this table was more of a sentimental item than anything as I spent many of years on this thing growing up.

once I had it, and realized that I had pretty much bought a old dog that was pretty beat up, I pondered how I would tackle a restoration and really battled back and forth on what I would do, and what I wanted someone else to complete.

Knowing this wasn't going to be a stock restoration, I was open to making it my own.

This thing had me on the phone and on here looking for answers throughout the process.

I sent all the metal out to local company that Cerakoted it all to a satin aluminum finish, stripped the black diamond light and brought out the wood grains. All sent the rails out and had the faces removed and replaced while also setting them at 4.5”/ 5”. This was after I learned that my end rails had old monarch on it that I couldn’t replace if I wanted to.

There is too much I went through, but wanted to share the results.

Anyways... Again I want to say thank you!

 

[ROB.M]

Table

That's pretty strong for your first post..
Did you add the gussets to the slate sill?


Rob.M

 

[Highmiles]

Great job. Thank you for sharing your results.

 

[PoolTable911]

Nice!

You did a great job on that table. Enjoy it!:thumbup:

 

[TexanZ06]

Beautiful job, love the look.

 

[realkingcobra]

I just want to take a moment and give a thank you to all the mechanics that are on here. I do not post often... if ever. I have read through this entire forum and learned as much as I could from all of you, which helped on every aspect of my Gold Crown restoration experience.


I obtained a Mutt GC1/3 that spent it's whole life in pools halls. The last major one being Main Street Billiards in Tucson Arizona. Buying this table was more of a sentimental item than anything as I spent many of years on this thing growing up.

once I had it, and realized that I had pretty much bought a old dog that was pretty beat up, I pondered how I would tackle a restoration and really battled back and forth on what I would do, and what I wanted someone else to complete.

Knowing this wasn't going to be a stock restoration, I was open to making it my own.

This thing had me on the phone and on here looking for answers throughout the process.

I sent all the metal out to local company that Cerakoted it all to a satin aluminum finish, stripped the black diamond light and brought out the wood grains. All sent the rails out and had the faces removed and replaced while also setting them at 4.5”/ 5”. This was after I learned that my end rails had old monarch on it that I couldn’t replace if I wanted to.

There is too much I went through, but wanted to share the results.

Anyways... Again I want to say thank you!

No sir, nothing mutt about your table, and nothing GC3 about it, rail blinds are to short to be a 3, and the bronze feet and ball box trim is not a GC1....what you have is a GC2:thumbup:

 

[fastone371]

No sir, nothing mutt about your table, and nothing GC3 about it, rail blinds are to short to be a 3, and the bronze feet and ball box trim is not a GC1....what you have is a GC2:thumbup:

Yet more info on the Gold Crown series. I did not know they had different length rail blinds. They must have ditched the plastic gulley blinds used on the GCI's and GCII's and just went with a longer rail blind on the GCIII to hide the ball return gulley???

Here I thought I knew everything there was to know about the various Gold Crowns but I learn more everyday. How I wish I was 16 again when I really did know everything!!!!

 

[fastone371]

Table looks great, fantastic job!!!!!

 

[Ralph Kramden]

How I wish I was 16 again when I really did know everything!!!!

Amazing how much my father had learned in 5 years between my 16th & 21st birthday.

.

 

[rikdee]

Yet more info on the Gold Crown series. I did not know they had different length rail blinds. They must have ditched the plastic gulley blinds used on the GCI's and GCII's and just went with a longer rail blind on the GCIII to hide the ball return gulley???

Here I thought I knew everything there was to know about the various Gold Crowns but I learn more everyday. How I wish I was 16 again when I really did know everything!!!!

AFAIK, GC IIs did not have the full plastic skirting but instead were issued with plastic 'winglets' fixed only at each corner, similar in profile to those on the GC I, but are not present on the OP's build.

 

[realkingcobra]

Yet more info on the Gold Crown series. I did not know they had different length rail blinds. They must have ditched the plastic gulley blinds used on the GCI's and GCII's and just went with a longer rail blind on the GCIII to hide the ball return gulley???

Here I thought I knew everything there was to know about the various Gold Crowns but I learn more everyday. How I wish I was 16 again when I really did know everything!!!!

The rail blinds on the 3's were also the first blinds to bolt to the rails with 20 5/16ths bolts instead of hinging to the rails using the extruded aluminum moulding.

 

[T3knkl]

AFAIK, GC IIs did not have the full plastic skirting but instead were issued with plastic 'winglets' fixed only at each corner, similar in profile to those on the GC I, but are not present on the OP's build.

rikdee, I have never seen something like that... (Probable would have tried my hardest to obtain if I did...)

 

[T3knkl]

No sir, nothing mutt about your table, and nothing GC3 about it, rail blinds are to short to be a 3, and the bronze feet and ball box trim is not a GC1....what you have is a GC2:thumbup:

Thanks for the input, I never would have thought it was a GC2... the only thing that made me believe it was a mixed bag was the fact that the rails did not match... at least by looking at them.

I do have one question for you if you would be willing to provide some input. I have set the profile as close to a diamond as possible, but the shelf is too damn short. hit one down the rail and you could touch the second diamond and it still falls... Have you ever added anything to the shelf of a gold crown to make it match a diamond profile? I would think by doing so, it obviously would affect the depth of the pocket - making it a "smaller hole". Would this alone be reason to not even think about it?

I know I am probably making a fool of myself for even posing the question, so please take it easy on me...

"Maybe I should just get a diamond if I want to play on a diamond" -Me, Just now...

 

[realkingcobra]

Looks like about 4 3/4" corner pockets.

 

[fastone371]

The rail blinds on the 3's were also the first blinds to bolt to the rails with 20 5/16ths bolts instead of hinging to the rails using the extruded aluminum moulding.

Now that you mention that I remember hearing about that difference.
Also the early GCI's had long 1 piece aluminum rail blind hangers and the late GC!'s and GC2's had segmented aluminum rail blind hangers.???

 

[fastone371]

I do have one question for you if you would be willing to provide some input. I have set the profile as close to a diamond as possible, but the shelf is too damn short. hit one down the rail and you could touch the second diamond and it still falls... Have you ever added anything to the shelf of a gold crown to make it match a diamond profile? I would think by doing so, it obviously would affect the depth of the pocket - making it a "smaller hole". Would this alone be reason to not even think about it?

"Maybe I should just get a diamond if I want to play on a diamond" -Me, Just now...

Looks to me like its a little bigger than 4 1/2"too, the balls should just fit right between the nipples with no gaps on a 4 1/2" pocket. The shelf depth looks pretty good too, at least not excessively shallow. I think Diamonds are 40% of the ball sticks past the nose of the cushion when the ball is deep as it will go in the pocket???? I know that before I had my GCI rebuilt that a ball would sit so deep in the pocket that you could not make a hanger hitting rail first. Now with 4 1/2" pockets (actually 4 3/8") mine sits like yours does. Does your slate have the big radius at the corners? I would think you could Bondo up the radius and make the edge more squared off if you wanted deeper shelves. If you used All Metal, its Bondo with aluminum in it I would not be concerned at all about it beingweak.

 

[realkingcobra]

AFAIK, GC IIs did not have the full plastic skirting but instead were issued with plastic 'winglets' fixed only at each corner, similar in profile to those on the GC I, but are not present on the OP's build.

To my knowledge they were the same as the 1's, 2 short skirts, 1 on each side of the ball tray. 1 solid piece on the head rail blinds, and 1 left & 1 right for each long rail blind. I have however seen the short corners only too, but that was because someone cut them down in length.

 

[realkingcobra]

Now that you mention that I remember hearing about that difference.
Also the early GCI's had long 1 piece aluminum rail blind hangers and the late GC!'s and GC2's had segmented aluminum rail blind hangers.???

Unless you work on them quite often, you'd miss the many little changes over the lifespan of the GC1/2 and early 3's. The first GC1 ball box/tray use to mount to the bottom of the foot rail with 2 slates screws screwed right into the bottom of the rail.

 

[realkingcobra]

Thanks for the input, I never would have thought it was a GC2... the only thing that made me believe it was a mixed bag was the fact that the rails did not match... at least by looking at them.

I do have one question for you if you would be willing to provide some input. I have set the profile as close to a diamond as possible, but the shelf is too damn short. hit one down the rail and you could touch the second diamond and it still falls... Have you ever added anything to the shelf of a gold crown to make it match a diamond profile? I would think by doing so, it obviously would affect the depth of the pocket - making it a "smaller hole". Would this alone be reason to not even think about it?

I know I am probably making a fool of myself for even posing the question, so please take it easy on me...

"Maybe I should just get a diamond if I want to play on a diamond" -Me, Just now...

Did you have the rails rebuilt?

 

[rikdee]

Unless you work on them quite often, you'd miss the many little changes over the lifespan of the GC1/2 and early 3's. The first GC1 ball box/tray use to mount to the bottom of the foot rail with 2 slates screws screwed right into the bottom of the rail.

Yeah, this is true. The first GCI I owned, circa 1978, was an early build example and had the ball box attached as you describe. My present GC I has the short aluminum extrusions atop the box as well as leveling feet. The apron extrusions are segmented and not one piece like the early tables.